STIFFEN


Meaning of STIFFEN in English

verb

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADVERB

up

If I'd stopped it would have stiffened up .

He made his Kings debut Saturday, but his back stiffened up afterward.

My hips go, my knees get too sore, my back stiffens up and I can't bend.

The men stiffened up to the color line, charged forward with a cheer, and drove back the enemy.

This makes the hollow stem go rubbery for a few seconds, but then it just stiffens up straight as it cools.

I got out of bed, and my back had stiffened up overnight to where I could just barely bend.

But everybody says I put on a show with the big ones, stiffening up and then jerking all over.

■ NOUN

back

My hips go, my knees get too sore, my back stiffens up and I can't bend.

He made his Kings debut Saturday, but his back stiffened up afterward.

The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened .

I got out of bed, and my back had stiffened up overnight to where I could just barely bend.

body

Fran gasped, her whole body stiffening as wave after wave of heat enveloped her.

She did not act surprised when she saw them, but he felt her whole body stiffen .

The grin vanished like magic, her whole body stiffening in antipathy as her eyes locked with fathomless brown ones.

As he sat there in the passenger seat his body was stiffening , his innards felt like bile.

His body stiffens as we reach the ward, St Patricia's, fifth floor.

He felt her whole body stiffen in shock, but though she gasped, she did not cry out.

resistance

He will stiffen their resistance to cuts in welfare.

It also stiffened his intransigence toward his internal critics, and in turn stiffened their resistance to him.

resolve

But no, his wayward member twitched once more, started to stiffen with free-willed resolve .

Denial can obscure obstacles and stiffen resolve .

■ VERB

feel

He felt his face stiffen , grow pale with rage.

She did not act surprised when she saw them, but he felt her whole body stiffen .

He felt the house stiffen against the world that was reaching in for his father and him.

He said it so loudly he felt himself stiffen from the sound.

He felt her whole body stiffen in shock, but though she gasped, she did not cry out.

I felt myself stiffening with fear.

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

Moisture will only stiffen the leather of your shoes.

Nora stiffened when she heard her ex-boyfriend's name mentioned.

Point your toes and stiffen the muscles in your legs.

The council wants to stiffen the penalty for drunk driving.

You can stiffen curtain fabric by using a special liquid solution.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

Already, Meh'Lindi's own skin seemed to be stiffening under that black second skin.

He will stiffen their resistance to cuts in welfare.

High school graduation standards must be stiffened.

I had to cut quickly, before the dough stiffened.

It also stiffened his intransigence toward his internal critics, and in turn stiffened their resistance to him.

Leaning back into the hill and stiffening the downhill leg is the worst reaction, if the most instinctive.

The very thought stiffened her body in his arms and she all but scowled at him.

Then all at once he stiffened, staring again towards the shore.

Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary.      Дополнительный английский словарь Longman DOCE5.